Chatuchak Weekend Market

Chatuchak Weekend Market, located in the north of central Bangkok, lays claim to being the world’s largest weekend market. With an estimated 8,000 stalls and 200,000 visitors the scale of the market is breath taking. If you can’t find what you are looking for in Chatuchak Weekend Market, you probably can’t find it in Bangkok.

Opening Hours at Chatuchak Weekend Market

This is definitely one of the must-see destinations in Bangkok, even if you aren’t there to buy anything. It is a great place to eat, drink and people watch. The market is really easy to get to by both the Skytrain (Mo Chit station) and the Metro system (MRT Chatuchak Park station). It is fully open from 09.00 to 18.00 on Saturday and Sunday, and some sections are open during the week.

Finding Your Way Around Chatuchak Weekend Market

The market is something of a maze. The market organisers have tried to help visitors navigate their way around the market by splitting it into 27 sections, each supposedly having a concentration of same product stalls, such as art or furniture. With the exception of the pets sections and the plants section, the types of product are all mixed up and you need to search around to find what you want. The split into sections is only useful if you are trying to locate a particular stall or if you are trying to navigate your way in or out by the free maps which are distributed at the main entrance.

Busy Market

If you are visiting for the first time, a word of caution: this is a hot, noisy, busy market and you might want to avoid the heat of the midday sun and take regular breaks. Perhaps better to visit both days of the weekend and do shorter sessions, rather than spend a whole day there.

Value For Money

In terms of value for money Chatuchak Weekend Market isn’t always the best place to go. You can probably buy things cheaper in MBK or Chinatown. This is particularly true of the shops on the main throughway. The prices at these shops are expensive. However, to be fair when you go farther into the market, away from the main throughway, you can get much better value for money.

Variety

Where the market comes into its own is the sheer variety of what is on sale. Not only is this a ‘one stop shop’ it is difficult to find the same things for sale elsewhere in Bangkok. A lot of the better stalls are outlets for small factories, artisans and artists. They may have small outlets elsewhere in the city but you would be hard pushed to find them. For creative artwork at the lower end of the price scale, the market is the best place to shop in Bangkok. If you are looking for a handmade quality souvenirs for your own home, or someone else, then the best range and quality is to be found in Chatuchak Weekend Market.